Sunderland

Metro extended down to Sunderland in 2002, which is relatively recent considering it feels like it’s part of the line that’s always been there. What makes Sunderland station unique is that the main line and local line services all share the same tracks, which when there’s up to 5 trains an hour serviced by the metro alone, means it’s one of the busiest stations on the line.

City centre stations are always a joy to review because there’s an abundance of pubs and restaurants to choose from. For the purposes of this guide we chose the Tipsy Cow on Bridge Street. If you leave the station onto Waterloo Place which merges into Union Street, then turn right onto High Street then left onto Bridge Street and the Tipsy Cow will be on the left.

I absolutely love the decor of pubs like this which are both cosy and trendy; they remind me of (what I imagine) Canadian ski lodges look like with the plaid upholstery and dark wooden furnishings. We had a Groupon voucher luckily when we visited so had some gourmet burgers and sides, all were cooked perfectly, portions were plentiful and prices (even without the voucher) were really reasonable.

Sometimes city centre pubs can go one of two ways; over priced because of a captive audience, or reasonable because of the competition. The Tipsy Cow thankfully is the latter with a good selection of real ales on tap and lots good drinks offers (like bottles of wine for £7 on a Sunday). The staff were also good and food came quickly.

There’s plenty of choice in Sunderland City Centre and it would be easy to fall into old faithfuls like a Wetherspoons (of which there are 3 within walking distance of the metro station) but I think The Tipsy Cow offers something a little different and would be the perfect edition to a Sunderland session.